Chap. 31. Expo/J./ion upon the 'Tooke of J. e) la. Vert 3 T 645' refolved to revenge himfelfe upon Nbal his heart was tiered with fury enough to confume him and all that he had ; hiafary ( as the Lord fpeakes of hirnfelfe when Gug (lull come up againft the land of/trail, Ek.38. 18. H f141y I lay) was come up in his face ;vet how meekly did he fubrnit, how krone was he taken offby the diffwafionof fibigail a difcreet woman, who gave him advice and Councell to the contrary ? Biltd be the 1,rd Godof Ifrail ( faith he ) whichlent thee this day romeete me, and bliffed be thy advice, and bleffedbe thou, which haft kept mee this dayfrom coming to /bed blood, and from avenging my felfe with mine owne band. This (I fay ) was a great aft of grace ; but it is a farrc higher ad of grace to forbeare revengewhen wee are provoked and councelfed to it : when it (hail he whifpered in our care ; Will you endure this ? will youheart this ? willyou be leach a focle ? will you ftand like a flack or a floneiSurely for a man to be as deafc as a flock to fuch whifperersas thefe, is grace in the height of it. As it fhevves much arengthof grace when we are firongly let up- on by the temptations of Satan, to refift and forbeare, (o when we are let upon by friends, by fervants, or relations ; who in fuch cafes are as the Devills right hand, todrift us in doing mifchizfe. .Againe,as ( on the other fide) not to doe that good which wee are advifed, and councelled, yea provoked to, by friends and re- lations, who are ( which is one ofthe heft offices ofa friend ) like goads in our fides toput us on in the wayes ofholineffe, ( as, this i fay ) argues much ftrength and prevalency ofcorruption ; fo it is an evidence that grace prevailes mightily in the foule,when be- ing much perfwadcd to any kinde of evil] , wee Rand firme as a, rocke, and are as thedeafe Adder that flops her care againft ehe voyceof theCharmer, though heCharme never fo wifely : They have the bell cares who cannot heare, and the beft hearts who cannot beare fuch Charmers.As they are bleffed who heare good counfel and=aye it, fo alto are they, who heare bad counfel and retire it. Fifthly, Obferve: iv/godly man dotb not onlyflop his ears when be is tempted to doe tvill,but he rebukes fach tempters and declares againg them-'. We have great reafon tobelieve(thougb it be not expreffe4) that
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